In Reply: Predictors of Academic Neurosurgical Career Trajectory Among International Medical Graduates Training Within the United States.

Abstract

To the Editor: We read the letter by Ozair et al1 regarding the challenges of international medical graduates in the field of neurosurgery within the US health care system and the reply on it by Jimenez et al.2,3 Ozair et al1 discussed the feasibility of international medical graduate neurosurgeons to alternative pathways for the American Board of Neurological Surgery. We would like to highlight some experiences from the American Board of Surgery and American Board of Orthopedic Surgery. The committees of these two boards offer an academic pathway for significant outstanding international-certified neurosurgeons.4,5 Some of the common requirements for the 2 boards include obtaining unrestricted license to practice within the United States for minimum period, minimum postgraduate years of practice within the same field, and experience as a full-time teaching faculty within an accredited institution in the United States.4,5 Adding more specifications for certifying in neurosurgery may be fair such as minimum value of Hirsch index6 and minimum number of peer reviewed publications within the field aiming for the best qualified candidates. In the field of neurosurgery, offering the academic pathway for certification may produce a new horizon in the global neurosurgical community based on merit aiming to raise the clinical and academic levels within the development that the world is currently facing, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic.